Salda Lake, which is a salty karstic lake in the Yeşilova district of Burdur and defined as the clearest lake in Turkey, should definitely be added to your list of places to visit. The white formations around the lake, which has a very pleasant turquoise color, especially in summer, add a distinct beauty to its beauty.
Information about Salda Lake
Salda Lake, which has the characteristic of lye water, consumes the magnesium it contains by the bacteria in the water and turns it into the white colored hydromagnesite mineral, and then the formation of stromotolites with the gathering of the bacterial community consisting of these hydromagnesite minerals causes the formation of white masses.
Water islands in and out of the water, with a total height of 10-15 meters, were formed by the combination of these masses. The stromolites, which were separated by the waves, collapsed and formed the white sands you see along the coast.
Salda Lake features
The lake, which is about 7 km by 9 km, is a tectonic lake. Since it was formed as a result of a volcano eruption, its deepest point is also quite deep. Declared in 1989 as a Natural Protected Area, Salda Lake is the 2nd deepest lake in Turkey with a depth of 184 meters at its deepest point.
The lake, where the ecosystem balance continues steadily, is also of international importance. Salda is one of the few places where the surface features of Mars are found and this is very interesting information.
Now let’s come to the two main issues. Swimming and accommodation in Salda Lake. Can you swim in this beautiful turquoise water, which is very rare in Turkey? Yes, you can.
We came here twice, the first time the weather was bad, the second time it was even worse, you know, flooding and lightning in the middle of summer. There are several beaches around Salda Lake for visitors to enter the lake. Among the beaches surrounded by wire fences, Salda Forestry Ministry Nature Park is accessible for a fee.
Salda Lake Beaches
Doğanbaba Public Beach and Yeşilova Municipality Public Beach are other beaches where you can swim in the lake. It is not recommended to enter the lake everywhere, due to the structure of the sand, the soft mud has a swamp effect and there may be momentary deepening.
For this reason, do not enter the lake except in the specified areas, and if you aim to enter in the permitted areas, it is useful to be careful again.
If you are going to Salda Lake to enter the lake and sunbathe, do not forget to take sunscreen creams, hats and sunglasses with you. Thus, you will prevent the sun from being a pain and the rays reflected from the sands from attacking your eyes unnecessarily.
Where to stay in Salda Lake?
People who use this place as a beach in the summer months can also camp around the natural lake and come for daily rest. You don’t have much choice for accommodation in Salda Lake, but if you like camping life, there are areas where you can camp.
Since the region is a protected area, you are not allowed to set up tents on every flat area you find, you can set up tents in the places reserved for tents. As far as we know, Salda Lake tent camping areas are Yeşilova Municipality Public Beach and Doğanbaba Public Beach. While there are areas for necessities in Yesilova, the necessities in Doganbaba are in nature.
These beaches used to be used as camping areas for both tents and caravans. But in Salda, everything can change, new rules can emerge. The altitude of Salda Lake is 1150 meters. It can be cold at night, summer or winter, so be prepared if you are going to stay here.
We do not stay in hotels as much as possible. But if you want to stay in Salda Lake, you don’t have much choice for hotel recommendations.
The most luxurious hotel is Hotel Lago Di Salda. Then this hotel is followed by Salda Lake Hotel. If Salda Lake hotels are expensive and you don’t want to set up a tent, you can also travel daily.
What to do in Salda Lake?
Salda is not yet a tourist destination. This means that the things to do and activities in Salda are limited. This is not a bad thing, of course. There are also good things to do in Salda. There are things we want to do in Salda one day when the weather is nice.
Walking on the sand, traveling around the 33 km of Salda Lake by car or better yet by bike, seeing the White Islands that appear in Salda Lake when the waters recede. Taking a dip in the water at Forest Camp are some of the things to do.
Where is Salda Lake and how to get there?
Although Salda Lake is between Antalya, Burdur and Denizli, it is located in Yeşilova district of Burdur. Salda Lake also has a coast to Salda Village, Doğanbaba and Kayadibi villages. It is possible to see a few facilities around the lake, which is 4 km from Yesilova.
If you happen to be in this neighborhood, make sure to take a short break on your journey and rest by the lake. If you are making a plan with accommodation, there are markets such as BİM and A101 in Yesilova.
You can get your needs from these points. Because you may have difficulty shopping around the lake due to impossibilities.
The most comfortable way to reach Salda Lake is by car. It is 150km (2h 20min) to Antalya center, 110km (1h 40min) to Isparta, 86km (1h 13min) to Denizli. To go to Salda Lake from Istanbul, you need to travel 620km (7h 30min).
The distance to Ankara is 460km (6h). If you do not have a car and want to reach Salda Lake by plane, the ideal way would be to use Denizli Çardak Airport.
